Royal College of Science Union
Encyclopedia
The Royal College of Science Union (RCSU) is a student sub-union at Imperial College London
, which represents over 4,500 students of the Sciences at the university.
. This later merged with the City & Guilds Institute of London to form modern day Imperial College. With the disappearance of the RCS as an independent institute, it was felt necessary that all students of the Sciences at the new Imperial College be represented by a union which carried on the name and spirit of the RCS. The first president of the RCSU was H.G. Wells, who was later to become a famous science fiction author, and many distinguished names have held that position since then, with the Union currently being led by Luke Kanczes.
The RCSU was briefly disbanded for a few years in the early 2000s following the College's decision to split up the Sciences Faculty into separate Faculties of Physical and Life Sciences, with the RCSU at the time deciding to follow suit, splitting into the Physical Sciences Union (PhysSci) and the Life Sciences Union (LifeSci). In 2006 however, following the College's rapid decision to re-merge the faculties, it was decided to also re-merge the two student unions, with the new union named the Royal College of Science Union, following a popular vote. The RCSU was first led by Jad Marrouche followed by Jenny Morgan, David Charles, Katya-yani Vyas, then Scott Heath.
Nowadays, the RCSU is an active union which organises many varied events for science students at Imperial College, such as the Science Challenge - a science-based essay competition with over £20,000-worth of prizes, a football league and a number of social events throughout the year, such as the Freshers' Ball, bar nights, club nights and a host of RAG
week events such as tours of the Queen's Tower
.
The RCSU also keeps an 'inviolate mascot' (i.e. it cannot be stolen), which is a Dennis N-Type fire engine known as Jezebel. Built in 1916, 'Jez' was donated to the college in 1955 when she finished her working life, and is equipped with 9-litre engine capable of pumping around 400 gallons of water per minute. There is a dedicated RCS Motor Club
which maintains and takes care of Jezebel. She is involved with charity work and appears at various motor shows.
The RCSU also has a "Gentleman's" Club, founded in 1922 and called "The '22 Club". The Club is still active today, with only male members, despite Imperial College Union's policy on gender discrimination in student societies, and membership by election only. Members are usually found in the Union Bar on a Wednesday evening wearing their club tie, which is made up of purple, red and white stripes.
The words are as follows:
There is no specific tune but anything flat and loud will do.
The first line has been translated (roughly) and interpreted to mean "Knickers to the Government" [Royal College of Science Handbook, 1973]. The word kangela means "to watch" in Zulu.
fixture between the Royal College of Science
and Keble College, Oxford
. It is usually held in Oxford
and is always an occasion for quality rugby, more commonly known as flair
. The match is a friendly and a perfect opportunity for inter-establishment camaraderie presents itself in the Keble bar afterwards.
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
, which represents over 4,500 students of the Sciences at the university.
History
The Union was founded in 1881, following the merger of the The Normal School of Science with the Royal School of MinesRoyal School of Mines
Royal School of Mines comprises the departments of Earth Science and Engineering, and Materials at Imperial College London.- History :The Royal School of Mines was established in 1851, as the Government School of Mines and Science Applied to the Arts...
. This later merged with the City & Guilds Institute of London to form modern day Imperial College. With the disappearance of the RCS as an independent institute, it was felt necessary that all students of the Sciences at the new Imperial College be represented by a union which carried on the name and spirit of the RCS. The first president of the RCSU was H.G. Wells, who was later to become a famous science fiction author, and many distinguished names have held that position since then, with the Union currently being led by Luke Kanczes.
The RCSU was briefly disbanded for a few years in the early 2000s following the College's decision to split up the Sciences Faculty into separate Faculties of Physical and Life Sciences, with the RCSU at the time deciding to follow suit, splitting into the Physical Sciences Union (PhysSci) and the Life Sciences Union (LifeSci). In 2006 however, following the College's rapid decision to re-merge the faculties, it was decided to also re-merge the two student unions, with the new union named the Royal College of Science Union, following a popular vote. The RCSU was first led by Jad Marrouche followed by Jenny Morgan, David Charles, Katya-yani Vyas, then Scott Heath.
Nowadays, the RCSU is an active union which organises many varied events for science students at Imperial College, such as the Science Challenge - a science-based essay competition with over £20,000-worth of prizes, a football league and a number of social events throughout the year, such as the Freshers' Ball, bar nights, club nights and a host of RAG
RAG
RAG may refer to:*Academia:**RAG —Student-run charitable fundraising organisations that are widespread in the United Kingdom **Real Academia Galega**Repertorium Academicum Germanicum*Military:**Regimental artillery group...
week events such as tours of the Queen's Tower
Queen's Tower (London)
The Queen's Tower is situated in the South Kensington Campus of Imperial College London, England. It is tall with a copper covered dome at its top...
.
Traditions
The RCSU has many traditions, including the chanting of the kangela at bar nights and other occasions when seen fit and the sport of mascotry, guarding a college mascot called Theta. Theta takes the form of a thermometer, chosen as an instrument used by all scientific disciplines. Theta has had a number of incarnations, with the current mascot, Theta Mk.IV being a seven-foot steel thermometer weighing over 100 pounds (45 kg).The RCSU also keeps an 'inviolate mascot' (i.e. it cannot be stolen), which is a Dennis N-Type fire engine known as Jezebel. Built in 1916, 'Jez' was donated to the college in 1955 when she finished her working life, and is equipped with 9-litre engine capable of pumping around 400 gallons of water per minute. There is a dedicated RCS Motor Club
RCS Motor Club
The Royal College of Science Motor Club was set up in 1955 to maintain "Jezebel", a 1916 Dennis N-Type fire engine and a mascot of the students of the Royal College of Science, one of the founding three Colleges of , in South Kensington.-Jezebel:...
which maintains and takes care of Jezebel. She is involved with charity work and appears at various motor shows.
The RCSU also has a "Gentleman's" Club, founded in 1922 and called "The '22 Club". The Club is still active today, with only male members, despite Imperial College Union's policy on gender discrimination in student societies, and membership by election only. Members are usually found in the Union Bar on a Wednesday evening wearing their club tie, which is made up of purple, red and white stripes.
Kangela
The Kangela is reputed to be an ancient Swahili Fertility Chant [Royal College of Science Handbook, 1973] first adopted by the RCSU in the middle 1950s as a War Cry on the occasion of Morphy Day.The words are as follows:
Kangela Armadola
Kangela Armadola
Kangela Armadola
Teia, Teia, Teia,
Pakamisso, Pakamisso,
Inkangala, Kubinala,
Watsi, R.C.S.
There is no specific tune but anything flat and loud will do.
The first line has been translated (roughly) and interpreted to mean "Knickers to the Government" [Royal College of Science Handbook, 1973]. The word kangela means "to watch" in Zulu.
RCS vs. Keble College, Oxford Annual Rugby Match
2008 heralds the reinstatement of the previously annual rugbyRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
fixture between the Royal College of Science
Royal College of Science
The Royal College of Science was a higher education institution located in South Kensington; it was a constituent college of Imperial College London from 1907 until it was wholly absorbed by Imperial in 2002. Alumni include H. G. Wells and Brian May and are distinguishable by the letters ARCS ...
and Keble College, Oxford
Keble College, Oxford
Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall...
. It is usually held in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and is always an occasion for quality rugby, more commonly known as flair
Flair
Flair can refer to:*Ric Flair , a professional wrestler*David Flair , his older son, also a professional wrestler*Reid Flair , his younger son, also a professional wrestler*The Flairs, an American doo-wop group in the 1950s...
. The match is a friendly and a perfect opportunity for inter-establishment camaraderie presents itself in the Keble bar afterwards.